A Family Affair
by Ree93
Summary: Nora Teller is juggling being a good mom to ten year old twins as well as running her own bakery shop. She's planning to divorce her husband but there's only one problem. Jackson Teller refuses to let a past indiscretion tear his family apart. He'll do whatever it takes to keep his family together.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I own absolutely nothing from Sons of Anarchy. I only own my own characters and plot.**

**I've had the idea of this story in my head for awhile and I decided to finally try writing it. The story takes place in the year 2006, so two years before the show starts. Some events may follow along with the show but I can't promise that it will completely. Constructive criticism is welcomed as well as your thoughts in general. I'd love to hear about what you like about it, what you don't and everything in between. I hope that the characters will come off as true to the natural forms. Thank you!**

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_Chapter 1_

On a Friday evening, the one stoplight in the town of Charming was always busy with rush hour traffic. It was a beautiful day, only 75 degrees with no clouds in sight. It would have been a great day to spend time with family, maybe go to the beach or have a picnic. That would have been ideal, instead Nora Teller found herself on the way to Teller-Morrow Automotive Repair. It was time to bring her children to their father for the weekend. Unfortunately, they wouldn't be back home with her until Sunday evening — unless something came up with their dad's _club_.

Nora watched as the light switched from red to green and as she was letting her foot off the break a loud _honk _could be heard from the vehicle behind her. She sucked on her teeth as she scowled at the vehicle through her rear-view mirror. It was a late model, blue Chevrolet truck and she could see the driver, Ernest Darby, smirking.

_Fucking Darby, _she thought to herself as she shoved her hand out of her open window and flipped him the bird. She knew he had seen it when she heard him rev his engine.

"Piss off, old man!" She heard her ten year old son shouting from the backseat.

Her eyes widened as she whipped her head around to see him hanging out of the back passenger window with both of his middle fingers aimed at Darby's truck.

"Charlie Nathaniel Teller! Get your ass back in that window, buckle up, and watch your mouth!" Her face was red as she clenched her jaw, the knuckles on her left hand turned white as she gripped the steering wheel harder. She tugged the fingers of her right hand through her wind-blown hair and grimaced when they snagged on the tangles.

The click of a seat belt caused her to take in a small calming breath. She glanced at the time displayed on the radio, the green light let her know that it was 4:30. She sighed, she only had thirty minutes to make it to the scheduled meeting with her lawyer.

_If I don't make it, God only knows when I will be able to secure another appointment. _She thought as another sigh left her lips.

The song 'The Best of Both Worlds' by Miley Cyrus came on the radio eliciting a scream from her ten year old daughter who was seated right behind her. The shrillness of the scream caused Nora to wince.

"Turn it up, Mom!" Claire Teller screeched as she started whipping her head back and forth in her attempt to dance as much as her seatbelt would allow. "This is my song!"

Nora glanced into the rear-view mirror just in time to see Claire's long, strawberry-blonde ponytail smack Charlie right in the face.

"Ow!" Charlie Teller yelped as his hand reached up to rub his left eye. "Chill out!"

"Sorry." Claire stopped tossing her head around. "Can you please turn it though?"

"Don't turn it up!" Charlie crossed his arms over his chest, "If I have to listen to this song one more time I'm going to barf!"

"Shut up!" Claire scowled at her brother as she smacked his arm, "You're just mad because you have sucky taste in music!"

"You shut up!" Charlie smacked his sister's arm, "How's my taste in music sucky? You're the one who likes listening to fake Barbie sluts!"

"Mom, he hit me!" Claire shrieked as she scowled at Charlie.

"She hit me first!" Charlie fired back, "Don't dish it out if you can't take it."

"That's enough!" Nora scowled at her children through the rear view mirror. "Stop hitting each other!"

Charlie pulled the black hood of his jacket over his disheveled, shaggy blonde hair before crossing his arms. He sent a scowl at his sister, "She started it."

"No, I didn't!" Claire glared back at her brother, crossing her own arms.

"Well, I'm ending it!" Nora reached over and turned the radio off hoping it would quell anymore arguments.

"Mom!" Claire protested as Nora held up her hand to silence her.

"I don't want to hear it." Nora rubs her right hand through her hair agitatedly, "We're almost there. _Please_, no more fighting."

The tense silence that fell over the vehicle lasted the ten minutes it took to make it to Teller-Morrow. As she pulled her black Range Rover onto the lot, she couldn't ignore the clench in her heart that she always felt when it came time to tell her children 'bye' for a few days.

The gravel on the lot crunched under the wheels of her SUV as she slowly parked. Looking out of her window, she saw that six motorcycles were in their normal parking spots — including _his. _The blue building had two of the three bay doors open, the office door was wide open as well causing Nora to frown as she silently prayed '_God, please don't let me run into Gemma today.'_

"There's Dad!" Claire squealed as she rushed to open her door causing Nora to turn her attention towards the Clubhouse.

The Clubhouse proudly had the image of a Grim Reaper on the side of it. In one hand, the Grim Reaper is holding a crystal ball with an Anarchist circle-A symbol. In the other hand is a scythe although the handle is replaced with an M16 rifle. The words _Sons of Anarchy Motorcycle Club Redwood Original _surrounds the Reaper. Nora couldn't help but glare at the logo, it was a representation of a lifestyle that was a big part of the reason that her family was in shambles.

Nora's eyes focused on the figure of Jackson Teller as he swaggered his way over to her SUV. She took in a deep breath to try to calm herself down as she climbed out and made her way to the trunk. She popped the trunk and leaned in to retrieve the two overnight bags — one purple with black zebra stripes, the other black with a damn Sons of Anarchy logo on it. She could vaguely hear him greet the kids before sending them to see Gemma. Her body tensed as heart pounded against her chest, she knew that he was behind her. She could feel heat creeping up her neck as she turned to face him with both bags in her shaky hands.

There he was standing before her, his hands in the pockets of his baggy blue jeans. His stance never changed, it was always demanding attention with his towering height and his self-assured smirk. His shoulder length blonde hair was still wet from the shower he had taken; his white t-shirt was slightly wrinkled underneath his black leather kutte. The Vice President patch taunted her as it sat proudly on the right side of his chest. Her eyes met his blue ones briefly before they darted down to the ground. She knew her resolve might crumble if she looked into those eyes for too long. Jackson Teller always had a way of getting what he wanted, it had been that way since they were sixteen.

_Not this time, Jax. _She thought bitterly to herself.

His idea of personal space when it came to her was non-existent. If it weren't for her holding her kids' bags between them, their chests would have been touching. She swallowed thickly trying to dislodge the lump in her throat, her heart felt like it was going to pound out of her chest at any given moment. She cleared her throat before greeting him, "Jax."

He gave her a half smile before taking the bags from her and placing them on the ground. He closed the distance between them and placed his hands on either side of her face forcing her to keep eye contact with him. The rings on his fingers felt cool against her skin. Her nose was assaulted by the smell of his Axe body wash as well as leather and the faint smell of cigarette smoke.

"It's been four months, Darlin'." His breath fanned across her face as he spoke. His thumbs gently caressed her cheeks. "I'm sorry for what happened, I promise I'll make it up to you. Let me come back home."

She knew that he was sorry that he had hurt her, but she also knew that it wouldn't change anything. They had been doing this for the last twelve years. The issues were never fixed, he simply got better at hiding them. Her mind knew this, but that didn't stop her heart or her body from reacting to him.

She sighed as her face leaned into to his right hand practically cradling it between her cheek and shoulder. Her eyes closed as she inhaled his scent, hoping to calm her racing heart. Her body was hyper aware of his touch, an aching need filled inside of her — she was well aware that it had been four months. '_It doesn't matter how long it's been! He's a cheater! Don't give in!' _She let out another sigh before opening her eyes again.

She could see it in his eyes that he thought that he would be coming back home today… that he thought he had her again, just like every other time. He smiled at her before he leaned in to kiss her, only to be disappointed when she turned her head.

"Jax, I've got to go." She stared towards the office to avoid looking at him. She locked eyes with Gemma who was standing in the office doorway, even from a distance she could feel the heat from the glare that was being sent her way. She rubbed her hand through her hair as she turned back to face Jax; he was the lesser of the two evils when it came to his mother.

Jax had distanced himself from her, his arms crossed and legs spread apart. He scowled at her, not getting his way was a foreign concept to him — especially when it came to her. "I've given you time and space… what else do you want?"

She rubbed her hands down her face as her body slagged slightly. A long sigh released itself from her lips. "Jax, please. I don't want to fight with you."

His hard eyes stared at her for a moment before they finally softened. He bobbed his head as he uncrossed his arms and placed his hands back into his pockets.

"Let me know if you want to talk. Otherwise, I'll bring the kids home on Sunday." He looked towards the office door before looking back at her, "Ma wants you to come to the family dinner."

"Hell would have to freeze over first." She scoffed shaking her head as she crossed her arms over her chest. "I would rather spend time with my gynecologist."

He grins like the cat that ate the canary, "I may not be a gynecologist, but I do know a lot about pussy. So if you'd like to step into my office…" His eyebrows wagged suggestively as he gestured towards the Clubhouse.

Nora's stomach dropped as she clenched her fists. She gave him a tight lipped smile, "Your vast knowledge of pussy is the reason we're separated."

Jax ducked his head as he reached up to rub the back of his neck, a frown tugged at his lips. "What do I have to do to make this right?"

She refused to look at him, instead she focused on the kids making their way to them. "I don't think you can."

Jax didn't get a chance to respond before Charlie and Claire were standing next them.

"I love you both. Be good." Nora told their children as she hugged them and planted a kiss on their foreheads, "I'll see you guys on Sunday."

"Love you, too." Charlie kissed Nora's cheek before reaching down and grabbing his bag.

"I love you, too. Bye." Claire squeezed Nora tight before releasing her.

Nora could feel her eyes starting to water, she gave them one last smile before making her way around the vehicle. She had just sat in the driver seat and was about to close the door when Jax's hand grabbed the door startling her.

His eyes pleaded with her, his voice low so that the kids couldn't hear, "Please don't give up on our family. On _me. _I swear that I'll fix this. I just need the time to do it."

She wanted to believe him and in a way she did. She knew that he'd make sure that any other crow eater that he fucked on the road wouldn't make the mistake of following him home. Hell, she wasn't even sure if the one that showed up on their doorstep four months ago was still even breathing. The only thing she did know was that the whore had been 'dealt with'. Whatever that meant, she didn't know nor did she care. Problem was, she no longer felt compliant with the status quo of 'what happens on the road, stays on the road'. Oh no, she was done with it all.

She sighed as she rubbed her hands down her face. She reached over and turned her key in the ignition causing the SUV to start. Looking at the clock on the radio, she noticed that she had twelve minutes to make it to her appointment causing her anxiety to rise.

Jax watched as she started to fidget and her eyes shifted around anxiously. She was up to something, that he knew without a doubt. He placed his hands on either side of the door opening as he peered at her with his head cocked to the left side. He didn't even attempt to keep the accusational tone at bay when he asked, "Where are you going when you leave here?"

Nora's stomach felt like it was in knots, but she'd be damned if she let him know that. She scowled at him as she scoffed, "That's none of your business."

Jax let out a humorless laugh before he leaned in closer to her. His hard eyes met hers as he gave her a cocky smirk, "It is my business when it concerns you. We _are _married after all."

_Not for much longer_, Nora thought angrily but held back from retorting. She knew that if he had even an inkling of what she had planned that it would be game over. He'd make sure that there wouldn't be a single divorce lawyer in California that would be willing to represent her. So instead, she took in a deep calming breath and did her best to school her features.

"I have an appointment, Jax. That I'm going to be late for if you don't let me go now."

Jax studied her face, he didn't trust the innocent expression that she was giving him. He didn't believe that she was lying per se but he did believe that she wasn't telling the whole truth. He glanced down to see her hands wringing in her lap before his eyes met her hazel ones once more. He didn't know what she was up to but he'd find out.

Nora's breath caught as Jax reached his hand over to push some of her copper colored hair behind her ear. She felt the pads of his fingers trace along her cheek and down her jaw before he leaned in and placed a kiss on her cheek. The stubble on his chin tickled her cheek but she bit back a smile. '_Don't give in. Don't give in. Don't give in.'_

She let out the breath that she had been holding when he pulled away and shut her car door for her. He smirked at her, a knowing glint in his eyes.

He tapped the roof of her vehicle twice, "Be careful, Darlin'."

Nora's eyes narrowed as she watched him swagger away from her SUV, every now and then he would look back over his shoulder at her with a sly smirk. Once he made it to the shop, he immediately started talking to a tan guy sporting a kutte with the word _Prospect _patched on it. Every now and then they would both look in her direction, she knew that they were talking about her.

'_Whatever.' _She thought as she rolled her eyes. '_I don't have the time to worry about this shit.'_

The gravel crunched as she drove across the lot and she could hear her tires throwing loose gravel as she quickly made her way onto the main road. She reached over to the radio and turned it on. The song Pocketful of Sunshine by Natasha Bedingfield came through the speakers and Nora immediately started singing along as she danced as much as her seatbelt allowed. She was so into the music that she didn't even notice the prospect that was tailing her on his motorcycle.

Five minutes later, she found herself parallel parking in front of a small, red bricked building. The big glass window had the words 'Charming Law' written in bold white colors. She turned off the SUV, and pulled down the visor so that she could see herself in the mirror. Her wavy hair was windblown causing her to frown as she did her best to get some of the tangles out with her fingers. Realizing that this was a lost cause, she dug in her center console and grinned triumphantly when she found a black hair tie. She quickly threw her hair up into a messy bun and applied some pink lip gloss to her lips. She smacked her lips together before giving herself a small reassuring smile. "You can do this. It's for the best."

She shut the visor and took a deep breath before climbing out of the vehicle and making her way to the sidewalk. Standing in front of the office door, she dusted off invisible dirt from her black skinny jeans and smoothed out her white blouse. Her black heeled boots clicked loudly as she quickly entered the building before she could lose her nerve. '_Here goes nothing.'_


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

It smelled like a dentist office which immediately put Nora on edge. An uncomfortable knot formed in her stomach and she could feel a small lump rising in her throat. She glanced around anxiously taking in the hardwood floors and the light green walls. Certifications were framed and hung proudly on the walls. On top of the front desk there was a potted cactus placed next to a sign in sheet.

"Hi there! My name is Agatha, how can I help you?" A sweet, grandmotherly voice hit her ears.

Startled, Nora's eyes dart over to a little old lady wearing a light pink dress suit. Her gray hair was styled up in a ballerina bun. She had crows feet in the corners of her brown eyes, and laugh lines next to her kind smile. She was a small lady, probably around five feet tall with a slender build.

Nora gave her a small smile before clearing her throat, "I uh… I have an appointment with Jordan Briggs?"

Agatha gave Nora a sad smile. The only people who came to see Jordan Briggs were the ones looking for a divorce. "He'll be with you shortly dear. Please sign in and you can have a seat if you'd like. Can I offer you a peppermint or some water?"

"Some water would be great, thanks." Nora could use all the help she could get to dislodge the lump out of her throat. She hesitated briefly before signing her name on the sign in sheet.

Agatha reached into the small mini fridge by her desk and grabbed a bottle of Dasani water. She walked around the desk so that she was standing next to Nora and handed her the bottle before gesturing to the two black leather chairs that were positioned in front of the window.

"We could have a seat while you wait if you'd like." Agatha offered sensing the nervousness coming off of Nora.

At Nora's nod, they made their way over and took a seat. Nora's legs bounced rapidly and her hands shook as she worked on opening the bottle of water. She frowned as some of the water sloshed out onto her shirt. She swore under her breath as her eyes darted around trying to find something that she could use to clean up her mess. Her eyes caught sight of Agatha holding out a box of tissues wearing a sympathetic smile.

Grabbing three tissues out of the box, Nora gave her small smile, "Thanks."

After setting the box of tissues back on the table beside her chair, Agatha shifted in her seat so that she was fully facing the woman beside her. "What's your name, dear."

Dabbing at the wetness on her shirt, Nora glanced at Agatha from the corners of her eyes, "My name's Nora."

"Well, Nora, everything is going to be okay." Smiling warmly at Nora, Agatha clasped her hands together in her lap and crossed her ankles.

Nora took in a deep breath before giving the lady a tight lipped smile. She wasn't so sure that everything would be okay. She wasn't sure how Jax would react when he learned that she had filed for divorce. She didn't know how bad the fallout would be. Then there were her kids, how would this affect them? Would they look at her as if she were the monster that tore their family apart? And to top it off, she still loved Jax. He had been her world since she was sixteen. Jax was all she knew. Would she be able to make it without him?

She didn't know, but she was furious enough to try.

Because as much as she loved him, in that moment she hated him with equal measure. Nora hated Jax for the pain he had caused her in the last twelve years. She hated the way his infidelity made her feel as if in some way it were her fault — that maybe she just hadn't been enough for him.

The only thing that Nora knew for sure was that she was just so damn tired of it all.

Having given up on the wet spot on her shirt, Nora balled the tissues up in her lap. "I hope you're right."

Agatha glanced around the office making sure that she didn't see Jordan before she leaned her head closer to Nora conspiratorially. In a quiet voice she offered some advice, "You know, sometimes we make hasty, life changing decisions based on what we are feeling at that moment. My father always said 'Aggie, when you need to make a decision don't let your emotions get a vote'."

Nora was stunned, her eyes widened and mouth dropped slightly as she stared at Agatha. She wasn't sure how it felt to hear that wisdom dropped on her. She felt a tug in her heart, making her momentarily question if she was making the right decision after all. "He sounds like a very wise man."

Agatha's smile widened, her eyes shined with sadness but also pride. "That he was, God rest his soul."

After a moment, she gave Nora a knowing and sympathetic look. "Twenty years ago, I was so mad at my husband. I wanted a divorce immediately. I swore I couldn't go another day being married to him. My father told me to go and get the papers written up and hold on to them. He told me not to sign them but to put them in a safe place for six months. After the six months was up, I could then make a thoroughly thought out decision that wouldn't be clouded by my anger. Listening to my father was one of the best decisions that I ever made."

Nora smiled at her, "Are you and your husband still married then?"

Agatha's lips pursed in disgust, "Hell no. I divorced that bastard the moment those six months were up." She grinned at Nora and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder, "But, I wasn't angry when I did it."

Nora smirked as her eyebrows raised in amusement. She hadn't been expecting to hear those words coming from Agatha. "No regrets, huh?"

Agatha shook her head with a small smile, "None whatsoever. A couple years later, I met a man who treated me like a queen. We've been married for seventeen years now."

Before Nora could respond, Jordan Briggs made himself known as he came to stand in front of the two women. He held out his hand for her to shake, "You must be Nora. I'm Jordan."

Nora looked away from Agatha to take in the sight of Jordan. He was a tall man, although she was almost sure that he would be shorter than Jax. He brown hair was balding and he had a round face with aristocratic features. His dark eyes were beaty reminding her of a rat. His navy blue suit didn't have a single wrinkle.

Standing up, she shook his hand with a tight smile. "That's me."

The look he gave her made her shift uncomfortably. He was judging her, the same way others did in this town. She could tell that he knew who she was — knew who she was married to.

Jordan finally turned and gestured for her to follow him. Nora swallowed thickly before she sent a glance back at Agatha. Agatha gave her a reassuring smile causing Nora to give her a small smile in return.

Agatha's reassurance seemed to give her some strength. Nora followed behind Jordan with her shoulders back and head held high.

There were a lot of things that Nora wasn't sure of. But at least after talking to Agatha she knew where to start.

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**Thank you for all of the reviews, favorites, and follows! Please continue to let me know what you think! This chapter is shorter than the first, I hope no one minds them being varying lengths. **

**Thank you to UnderElectricCandlelight, lilyann17, RebornRose1992, britt, LunaEvanna Longbottom, and all of my guest reviewers. Thank you for your kind words and I'm so glad that you are all enjoying this story so far! I hope that you will continue to enjoy!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapte****r**_** 3**_

The sun had set by the time Nora came walking out of the building with a Manila envelope in her hands. She took in a deep breath as she looked at the sky, a small smile settled on her lips as she took in the beautiful hues of purples, pinks, and oranges. Her heart was beating at its normal rhythm again and her body felt drained now that the anxiety had left.

It had been a long day to say the least.

A weight felt like it had been lifted off of her shoulders. Sure, she might not know exactly what she was going to do, but just having the divorce papers drawn up made her feel better. In a way, she felt powerful with them. She could hurt Jax, if she chose to do so. She could take away the family that he had took for granted. All it would take was a signature.

Nora's heels clicked as she made her way into the driver side of her Rover. Shutting her door, she reached to put her key in the ignition when she heard the sound of a motorcycle engine starting up. Her stomach dropped as she quickly ducked down as the motorcycle passed by her vehicle. She peeked over the steering to see the tan man that had been wearing the Prospect kutte driving down the road. Her eyes darted around to make sure that she didn't see any other of the Sons hanging around before she finally started her vehicle and drove off.

She drummed her fingers anxiously against the steering wheel as her eyes kept peering into the rearview mirror. Her stomach was in knots and she could feel herself starting to sweat. She wasn't a moron, she knew that Jax had her followed. Now it was just a matter of time before he showed his face and the shit show would begin.

Her Blackberry started ringing causing her heart to stop momentarily as she reached a shaky hand over to the passenger seat to retrieve her phone. The screen flashed the name 'Muffy' causing her to let out a breath and a smile to form on her lips. She accepted the call and placed the phone to her right ear. "Hello?"

"Hey!" Muffy sounded like she was out of breath, "How did everything go?"

"It was fine." Nora turned on her left blinker as she slowed down turn onto Anderson Avenue, "I got the papers drawn up."

"Oh? So will they be sending them to his lawyer or are they going to serve him like in the movies?"

Nora parked the car in the driveway of her modest one-story white brick home. Jax had bought it for them not too long after they found out about the twins. It was his way of showing her that everything would be okay. "Not exactly. I didn't actually sign them.."

"Okay," Muffy drug out the word, "So… you aren't going to divorce Jax?"

Nora let out a groan as she unlocked her front door, "Yes. No. Maybe. Look, I don't know what the hell I'm doing, okay? I don't know what I want, but I know what I don't want. I just don't… know."

"Where are you?"

"I just made it home." Nora turned her living room light on before hanging her car keys up on the key rack. She dropped her purse and the Manila folder on the coffee table before plopping herself down on the black leather sofa.

"I'll be there in ten."

"Okay. See you soon." Nora propped her feet up on the coffee table, "Be careful."

"Always." Muffy responded before she hung up.

Nora tossed her phone onto the table and rubbed her hands down her face before deciding that she had enough time for a quick shower. Making her way down the hallway, she tripped over one of Charlie's shoes that he was supposed to put in his room. Her heart clenched as she frowned. '_I miss my babies,' _She thought as she made her way to the master bathroom.

Nora made sure that the temperature of the water was the perfect level of scalding before climbing in. After soaking her hair, she reached for her shampoo and frowned as she grabbed Jax's _Head 'N Shoulders _shampoo instead. For a moment, she allowed herself to miss him before her anger took over and she hummed the shampoo bottle at the floor. She threw his body wash next as she felt hot tears streaming down her cheeks. A sob formed in her throat and without her permission it came out. Sinking down onto the floor of the shower, she hugged her knees to her chest as sobs wracked her body.

How could he have done this to her? What was so wrong with her that he would feel the need to seek out someone else? Why wasn't she _enough_?

"Nora?" Muffy called into the bathroom as she pushed door causing it to creak open. The only response that Nora gave was the sound of another sob. Concerned Muffy hurried over to the tub and pulled the shower curtain back.

Taking in the sight of her broken best friend, Muffy's heart broke. "Oh, honey."

After turning off the shower, Muffy grabbed a white towel and wrapped it around Nora. Climbing into the tub, she sat next to her and wrapped her arms around Nora as her head leaned against Nora's wet one.

"I'm sorry my cousin is such a fucking idiot." Was the only thing Muffy said as she waited for Nora to calm down.

"I just want my family." Nora whimpered after a few minutes, her eyes stared vacantly at the bathroom counter.

Rubbing Nora's wet hair, Muffy couldn't help but be pissed at her cousin. How hard was it to be faithful to someone? She knew that Jax loved Nora more than anything, besides the kids. But his lack of control was ridiculous. "I know, honey."

After a few moments, Nora calmed down and couldn't help but laugh at the situation she was in. Sitting butt naked, besides a towel, with her best friend in her bathtub. Oh, how far she had fallen. "Let's get out of here."

"Yeah?" Muffy stood up and reached a hand down to help Nora up as well, "I brought wine and lasagna."

Nora perked up as she grinned. Her bloodshot and slightly swollen eyes had a little more life in them. "Did you bring Texas Toast, too?"

"Did I bring Texas Toast?" Muffy mocked as she made her way into Nora's room and started pulling clothes out of her dresser, "Well duh, you dumbass."

"Bitch." Nora grinned as she took the clothes that was given to her.

They both quickly changed into some sweat pants and t-shirts before making their way into the kitchen. Muffy fixed them both a plate and a big glass of wine before they made their way into the living room to sit on the couch.

"Do you want to talk about that?" Muffy asked, her brown eyes glued to the Manila folder on the coffee table.

Nora shook her head as she took a big gulp of wine, "Not tonight."

Nodding her head, Muffy used the black hair tie on her wrist to put her mid-back length blonde hair up into a ponytail. "Fair enough. Have you talked to Donna recently?"

Donna was married to Nora's cousin, Opie Winston. The petite brunette was the other member of their trio of best friends. They had all been stuck like glue since their elementary school days. When Opie was arrested four and half years prior, Donna did her best to avoid anything that had to do with the Club. Unfortunately for Nora, she was included.

Nora frowned, "No, she's still pissed at the Club and since I'm married to Jax I guess I'm guilty by association."

Rolling her eyes, Muffy let out a huff, "She's not pissed at you. She just doesn't want you bringing her money."

Narrowing her eyes, Nora huffed as she threw her arms in the air, "Well, what the hell am I supposed to do? I promised Ope that I would look out for her. I'm trying to help her."

"She thinks of it as blood money if it's coming from Jax's pocket." Muffy shrugged before taking a bite out of lasagna.

Groaning Nora downed the rest of her wine, "God, I swear if that's what this is about I'm going to strangle her. Tell her it's from the fucking bakery."

"No, then she would just think that you were getting it out of your trust fund. Everyone knows that the bakery isn't making _that _much." Muffy put her hands up as Nora glared at her, "I'm just saying. She doesn't want a hand out."

"And I don't want Opie to have more reasons to stress. I mean come on." Nora rolled her eyes before licking her plate clean causing Muffy to laugh.

"You're so fucking Classy, Nor."

"Bite me." Nora retorted as she stood up to take her plate to the kitchen and to retrieve the wine bottle.

"Maybe after a few more glasses of wine!" Muffy called after her with a laugh causing Nora to laugh as well.

They spent the rest of the night drinking and singing along to old 90's songs before they crashed in Nora's bed.

* * *

Jax was sprawled out on the roof of the Clubhouse. He could hear the sounds of a Friday night party in full swing, but he didn't care. Three empty Jack Daniel bottles along with two empty packs of cigarettes were abandoned on the ground beside him. He would have went in search for more but he didn't feel like crawling to the ladder to get down off the of the roof.

His disposable cell was shattered on the ground below. It was smashed in a fit of rage after Juice, the Prospect that was tailing Nora, called and informed Jax that his wife was at an appointment with a divorce lawyer. At first, Jax was ready to hop on his bike and go after her. Then, he thought about going and making sure the lawyer wouldn't want to touch the case. Just when he was getting ready to go do _something _his mom stopped him.

"Your kids are watching you, Jackson." Gemma had been stern with her hands on her hips, but her brown eyes softened as she saw the pain in her son's blue eyes. Reaching up, she placed her hands on his cheeks before giving him a quick kiss. "Everything will be okay, baby. I'm going to take the kids home. You do what you gotta do tonight, and tomorrow you start working on fixing your family."

What did he have to do tonight? Apparently, get shitfaced on the top of roof. In hindsight, it probably wasn't the best idea considering he was now too fucking wasted to get off of the roof… but he didn't give a shit. And why should he? His wife wanted to fucking leave him. Deep down, he didn't even blame her. He was a piece of shit and even he knew it. She had always been better than him.

They had known each other since they were kids. She had always been the girl with a big heart and beautiful smile. She helped others every chance she got, and all he did was hurt people in some way or another. She had been faithful from the start and he had a hard time resisting temptation. And why? Because it stifled that little voice that I told him he was nothing — at least for a little while. And then the guilt would set in and remind him just how shitty he really was.

Maybe he should just let her go. She could find better than him and be treated like the queen she deserved to be treated as.

No, fuck that. She was _his _queen.

He had worked so hard to live up to his father's legacy, and to build one for Charlie… but what good would any of that be without Nora by his side cheering him on like she always had.

As stars shone brightly above him, his last thought before passing out was, '_I just want my family.'_

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**Thank you all for the favorites, follows, and reviews! It's a really wonderful feeling to know that there is someone who enjoys reading your story. Please let me know what you think! Also, I've been working on really trying to be descriptive in my writing so any advice on what you like it what I could improve on would be really appreciated :)**

**If anyone was wondering, I picture Carlson Young as Muffy.**

**I want to give a BIG thank you to those who have reviewed! RebornRose1992, Demarcod, Emmettluver2010, A. Smit, Janshanr, Annabelle, and all of my guest reviewers thank you all!**


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